I decided to try and read a lot of thriller and horror books this month but none of them were that good. The non-spooky books I read were really good though!

Stats:

• Read: 5 books
• Three 3 star reads, one 4 star, one 5 star
• Favorite book of October: Greywaren

Greywaren by Maggie Stievfater

This was an absolutely phenomenal conclusion to the Dreamers trilogy as well as the Raven Cycle universe as a whole. I couldn’t explain the plot to you if I tried, but trust me when I say it is so well crafted, inventive, and captivating. The writing is sarcastic, beautiful, and just the right amount of pretentious for me. Finally, Stiefvater tells such an emotional story of 3 brothers who lose each other and find their way back to each other in the end– I was sobbing. The complexity within each of the brothers and the conclusion of their character arc was so well written. I’m so upset to be saying goodbye to the Raven Cycle universe. Rating: 5 stars

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

The premise of this story was very unique and I appreciated learning more about Native American culture through a horror lens. Some parts were surprising and gory, but for the most part I was not at all scared. Considering that I read this in October and wanted to be properly freaked out, I was pretty let down (and I’m usually pretty easy to scare). Rating: 3 stars

In my Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead

 I appreciated the Pretty Little Liars/Gossip girl vibes and drama of this book, but it was not a well written thriller. The motivations for the characters’ actions were flimsy and forced. The plot carried on in a manner that basically led the reader right to who the killer was, so the reveal was unsurprising. I barely cared about the character who was murdered because she is somehow the least important and least interesting character in the group. The book was still pretty entertaining and fast paced, though. Rating: 3 stars

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

This was just okay. The premise seemed interesting, but the plot was really low stakes because of how many times the main character Charlie could have simply escaped. She made really stupid decisions that could have been avoided if she had just stopped being gaslighted or stopped gaslighting herself. Charlie had so many opportunities to get help and avoid being almost murdered, but she always seemed to find an excuse to stay in terrible situations. I also figured out the plot twist really quickly, which wasn’t fun. Rating: 3 stars

A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber

 I hate to have to say that my most anticipated read of the year did not end up being a 5 star read. But alas. This conclusion to the trilogy couldn’t measure up to the romance, whimsy, and betrayal of The Ballad of Never After, but it was still a satisfying ending to the story. It had stunning imagery and lots of action, but I felt that it could have been just a little more… dramatic? I kept expecting more but it never came. Nevertheless, this is one of my favorite series and I loved the ending! Rating: 4 stars